This invention relates to a process, an article produced by the process and a composition of matter.
Palynology is defined as the study of pollen and spores, both modern and fossil pollen and spores. Although a relatively new science, palynology has rapidly become an important tool in the exploration for energy sources. Palynologists have discovered that fossil spores and pollen trapped in most coals, shale and sedimentary rock, yield valuable information in predicting the amount, type and distribution of petroleum that can be expected in a basin. Furthermore, palynological data is also useful in identifying geological features in wells and for unravelling the sedimentary history of basins.
To identify and draw conclusions from the pollen and spores, it is necessary to liberate trapped pollen and spores from the sedimentary sample. The method of liberating pollen and spores may be achieved by any of the chemical maceration processes known in the art. The basic principles of chemical maceration are outlined by J. B. Urban and J. K. Kline in "Chitinozoa of the Cedar City Formation, Middle Devonian of Missouri", Journal of Paleontology, Vol. 44, pp. 69-76 (1970). Briefly, sample materials are processed through hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, and Schultz's solution, leaving a chemically processed residue ready to be examined. The chemical nature of spores and pollen is such that most species are resistant to the destructive action of the corrosive acids. Since the examination and study of these acid-insoluble spores and pollen are almost totally microscopic, it is necessary that the microfossil residue be suitably mounted for microscopic analysis.
Several different media for mounting residues onto microscope slides exist. Exemplary mounting media are glycerin jelly, diaphane, Euparal, Canada balsam and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC).
Glycerin jelly has been one of the chief mounting media used in palynological studies, largely because of simplicity in use. However, glycerin jelly does not remain sufficiently set in warm climates, and thus the resulting slides are often difficult to preserve and file. Freezing, on the other hand, ruins glycerin jelly slides. Pollen and spore grains also have a tendency to swell and lose their characteristics in this medium. Furthermore, if the residue is not sufficiently dried before applying the glycerin jelly, air cavities develop which complicates specific microfossil identification.
Euparal and diaphane, also widely used, require time-consuming dehydration processes with alcohol. The chemically processed residue going into Euparal first requires dehydration with at least one charge of 95 percent methyl alcohol. As with glycerin jelly, care must be taken to allow the residue placed on the microscope slide to dry before adding the Euparal. Diaphane mounts may be prepared in essentially the same manner except that it is necessary to follow the alcohol treatment by a diaphane preparatory solution.
Some palynologists have made mounts with Canada balsam but the high index of refraction of this mounting medium is a disadvantage in most studies. Also Canada balsam, like diaphane, cannot be mixed directly with aqueous residues but requires dehydration with 95 percent methyl alcohol prior to mounting. Furthermore, slides prepared with Canada balsam have been observed to lose their permanency and begin to crack, discolor and crystallize after an extended period of time.
A 2 percent solution of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) has been used for mounting polliniferous specimens, as detailed by R. M. Jeffords and D. H. Jones in "Preparation of Slides for Spores and Other Microfossils," Journal of Paleontology, Vol. 33, pp. 344-347 (1959). However, preparation of the HEC solution requires many time-consuming steps such as first saturating the HEC powder with methyl alcohol, stirring the admixture into distilled water, heating to remove the methanol, and then filtering to eliminate insoluble, fibrous particles.
Although most of the above described mounting methods and medium have some advantageous features, there is a need for an improved method for simply obtaining permanent slides.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a simple process for mounting specimens on a support.
Another object of this invention is to provide a solution suitable for mounting specimens on a support.
Another object of this invention is a simply prepared permanently mounted slide.
Other aspects, objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon study of the disclosure and the appended claims.